


isn't love a funny thing?

by atemzug



Category: Stray Kids (Band), The Boyz (Korea Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Alternate Universe - Not K-Pop Idols, M/M, Slice of Life
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-12
Updated: 2021-02-12
Packaged: 2021-03-16 21:55:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,302
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29214513
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/atemzug/pseuds/atemzug
Summary: It’s really the things you least expect that make the most impact.
Relationships: Han Jisung | Han/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Ji Changmin | Q/Lee Juyeon
Comments: 6
Kudos: 49





	isn't love a funny thing?

**Author's Note:**

> i have always wanted to write jueyon and lino as brothers, but i was also always too lazy to look into juyeon. but anyway, a couple of weeks ago i fell into a jukyu rabbit hole and now here i am emerging from said hole, bearing minsung + jukyu fic. please accept my humble offering (and please be kind as i am sure this would be ooc TT) 
> 
> edited this as best as i could but i'm sure there were things that i missed, so apologies in advance!

On the day Minho starts his last year in high school, and Jisung starts his first, Juyeon walks them to the bus stop. 

"I'm going to the convenience store," is what Juyeon reasons. 

Minho knows that's not why Juyeon bothered to wake up early, but chooses not to say anything, since Jisung enjoys Juyeon's company so much even though they barely talk.

They stop in front of an apartment building somewhere along the same street, just right before they turn the corner to the bus stop. A few minutes later, a boy comes out of the building. He’s wearing the same uniform as Minho and Jisung, except his white shirt is barely peeking out from under a black jacket identical to the one Juyeon is wearing. 

_Right there,_ Minho thinks, as the boy walks towards them, a big smile forming on his face as soon as he sees Juyeon, a sunflower facing the sun. 

“Juyeon-ah!” Changmin greets. “What are you doing here?”

And Juyeon gives him the lame excuse of going to the convenience store, which would’ve been more believable if the convenience store wasn’t in the opposite direction. But no one really cares, anyway. Not Jisung. Not Changmin.

 _Not me,_ Minho tries to convince himself, too.

  
  
  
  
  


Minho has no problem with Juyeon wanting to see Changmin; they’re best friends, after all. What Minho has a problem with is the fact that Juyeon and Changmin would sometimes lag behind while walking, as if they haven't learned anything from all the times they've missed the bus in just the past month. 

"If we're late again today, I'm blaming Jichang,” says Minho, sighing exaggeratedly for effect. And, just because he knows Juyeon is easily guilted, he points at him and adds, “And you, Lee Juyeon." 

"Hey, is that a way to talk to your older brother?" Jisung jokingly chastises. 

See, another thing Minho has a problem with is his best friend, Jisung, wanting to see Juyeon every morning, too. Which is why, even if Minho wanted to, he can't just leave Juyeon behind-- not when Jisung lives next door and always refuses to go if Juyeon isn't around. 

"Is _that_ a way to talk to _your senior_?" he answers Jisung. "Don't think I'd let it slide just because we're neighbors."

"Ya, Lee Minho," Juyeon calls from behind. Despite the serious tone of his voice, there's no real bite to it when he says, "Don't think _I’d_ let it slide just because we’re brothers.”

  
  
  
  
  


Life is a little complicated when you’re born the same year as your older brother. That’s something Minho had to learn the hard way.

“Why didn’t you go to the same school as Juyeon-hyung?” Jisung asks, finally looking up from his book and letting go of the pretense that he’s even trying to study. 

“Hm?” Minho replies, even though he heard the question loud and clear. He has yet to let go of _his_ pretense to study, but now that Jisung has mentioned his brother, he’s determined to not let the conversation steer that way.

He thinks the reason should be obvious, though. Why would anyone want to go to school with their sibling who’s essentially the same age? Except, they're _not really_ the same age _._ But even though Juyeon is older, in the sense that he’s a grade above Minho, Minho still doesn’t want to subject himself to comparison. Besides, he imagines it would be weird and, frankly, annoying to have to explain to everyone about their age hierarchy. They have a good relationship as brothers, and a lot of times they treat each other as _friends_ , but Minho doesn’t want anyone to misunderstand them. 

“I said,” Jisung repeats, “Why didn’t you go to the same school as Juyeon-hyung?”

Minho sighs, closing his laptop shut. He turns to Jisung and asks, “Why didn’t _you_ go to the same school as Juyeon-hyung?”

“Why would I?”

“Since you like him so much.”

“That’s not really a good reason to choose which school to go to,” Jisung replies. “And anyway, hyung goes to this school, so of course I’d go here too!”

Minho can only quietly shake his head in response, trying not to let what Jiusng just said get to his head.

  
  
  
  
  


When Changmin sprains his ankle while running laps for gym class, Minho immediately runs to his aid. He takes him to the clinic, heads back to finish the rest of his classes, and comes back to find Changmin lying on one of the beds during lunch.

“Ya,” Minho nudges his elevated leg, and Changmin laughs at the pain. “What were you doing?”

“Tripping,” Changmin answers, smiling widely.

“You’re embarrassing.”

“I know.”

They both break out into loud fits of laughter, interrupted only a few minutes later when the door to the clinic bursts open. 

“Minho-hyung!” Jisung comes running towards them, and then stops dead when he sees the scene. “Changmin-hyung?”

“Hey, Jisung,” Changmin greets him, still laughing.

“Hyung,” Jisung says to Minho. “I was so worried, I thought something happened. I was looking for you at the cafeteria and Dahyun-noona told me you went to the clinic.”

“Well, nothing happened to me _,_ ” says Minho. “Something happened to this idiot, though.” 

Changmin gestures to his leg, wiggling his fingers as if he were showing Jisung a magic trick. He still has that wide, contagious smile plastered on his small face, like this was some fun extracurricular activity.

Minho kind of wants to smack him right on his injured ankle.

But he can’t say he doesn't understand why Juyeon would miss work just to take Changmin home later that day.

  
  
  
  
  


The last day of the semester came too quickly. Before Minho knew it, he's at the small studio where he works part-time teaching kids how to dance, sitting on the floor after his shift, fixing his stuff and getting ready to leave. A few feet away, Changmin - who also works there part-time, just the same as Minho - is taking a rest and massaging his ankles. Beside him, Juyeon, the only one among them who now teaches there full time, watches him closely. 

"I can't believe the semester's over," Jisung says out loud. He went with them to the studio today, as he sometimes does, and now he's sprawled on the floor as if he did something else other than watch the three other boys struggle to teach kids how to move without hurting themselves and each other. 

Juyeon, now sure that Changmin's ankles are all fine and dandy, scoots over to where Jisung's lying down. Minho watches as Juyeon ruffles the younger's hair, and Jisung tries to bury his reddening face into the floor. "Since you've worked hard, hyung will buy you dinner tonight," he tells Jisung, and Minho can't help but roll his eyes at how Jisung is always rendered speechless. Juyeon notices Minho's reaction and turns to him. "Do you want hyung-ah to buy you dinner, too?" he teases.

Minho scowls at his brother. "You guys can go for all I care," he says indifferently, as if the way Jisung's now looking at Juyeon expectantly doesn't bother him at all. But he's had a lot of practice at faking nonchalance, and even more practice at getting into Juyeon's nerves. "Jichang and I have somewhere to go, anyway."

"Oh, right!" Changmin exclaims, perking up. "We're meeting our friends for dinner tonight."

"Yeah," Minho says. He checks his watch, although his attention is set elsewhere. "We should probably get going now." 

"Right, right." Changmin stuffs everything into his bag. He turns to Jisung and congratulates him on his first semester as a high school student. "I'll buy you food when you graduate high school," he says, clapping him on the shoulder, and then bids Juyeon goodbye too.

"Don't drink too much," Juyeon says knowingly to both Minho and Changmin.

"Don't worry," Minho says, "I'll take good care of our Jichang here." He tries hard to fight the feeling of vindication when he sees the way Juyeon stares at Changmin's back. 

  
  
  
  
  


Minho comes home late one summer night, tipsy from the drinks shouldn't even have had with his friends. 

They all spent the entire day at a water park to celebrate his friend Yeeun's birthday. Afterwards, they went to her place to have dinner and hang out-- and somehow they ended up drinking her dad's last few bottles of soju hidden in their fridge. 

It was during a silly game of truth or dare that Minho, in his alcohol-influenced state, kissed Changmin. 

And Changmin, equally intoxicated, kissed him back.

But Minho knows they were both sober enough to know what they were doing.

And now he doesn't know how to face Juyeon when Juyeon opens the door and finds both him and Changmin standing there, all sweaty forehead and flushed faces. 

"Wha--?" Juyeon starts, but Changmin throws his arms around him, laughing, before quickly pulling away and heading inside. And Juyeon already knows.

"I'm gonna go downstairs," Minho says when his brother looks at him questioningly. 

Juyeon only sighs and shakes his head; he knows where Minho's going, and he's made it clear he doesn't approve of it, but doesn't really do anything to stop Minho, anyway. "If you're not back in five minutes, I'll lock the door," he tells Minho before following Changmin inside.

In the small smoking area on the first floor, Minho finds Jisung, just as he expected.

"Hyung!" Jisung exclaims as soon as he sees him. "Thought you were out today."

"I _was_ ," Minho replies, already lighting his own cigarette. "Just got back."

"Oh. Of course."

Minho takes a long drag off his cigarette, and almost immediately it clears his head. Still, not clear enough to keep him from staring at Jisung's lips as sweet smoke comes out of them-- and wishing it were those he was kissing earlier instead.

  
  
  
  
  


As soon as the clock strikes midnight, Minho knocks on Jisung's door.

Not even a minute later, Jisung comes out, grinning widely, showing his crooked front teeth - which he's slightly insecure about but Minho finds cute and endearing.

"Heard it was your birthday," Minho says flatly.

"Who'd you hear it from, huh?" Jisung replies. "I keep my birthday a complete secret."

Minho snorts, rolling his eyes at the younger. If Jisung's birthday is anything, it's definitely not a secret to anyone he knows. 

"But seriously, hyung," Jisung says, a hint of seriousness and confusion in his voice. "Is something up? I mean, surely you didn't call me just to wish me a happy birthday?"

Minho did, in fact, only knock on his door to do exactly that. But since that's something he can't tell Jisung, he just gives a nonchalant shrug. Jisung just smiles back at him happily. 

Sometimes, it feels like Jisung can see right through him, and Minho has to consciously remind himself that Jisung is his best friend - has been since they were literal kids - and that whatever it is he's now feeling for him should remain below the surface, kept secret and unseen.

It gets exceptionally hard when Jisung looks at him in earnest, saying, "It's nice that hyung's the first person I'm seeing on my birthday." 

  
  
  
  
  


"What should we do today, hyung?" Jisung asks as they walk home from school. 

"Jichang and I both have to go to work," Minho replies. "Then I'll have dinner with my family, maybe."

Jisung sounds a little disappointed when he lets out, softly, "Oh." 

Minho tries not to mind it. He turns to Changmin, who's walking quietly on his other side. "If my parents drop by the studio to pick hyung and me up, they'd probably ask you to come along, too," he reminds him. " _Again._ "

"Look, it's not my fault they always insist I join you," Changmin says. 

"You mean, Juyeon-hyung always insists you join us," Minho points out.

"Yeah. He does, doesn't he?" Changmin says absentmindedly. Then he calls Jisung. "Jisung-ah, you free on Monday?" he asks.

"Yeah, sure," Jisung answers. "What are we doing?"

"Whatever Jichang wants, of course," Minho replies. Since their birthdays are eleven days apart, they always spend the sixth day in between - which is the 31st - together as a celebration. And since it's around Halloween, they usually end up watching whatever horror movie Changmin wants to see. 

It kind of amazes Minho how Juyeon always agrees to it, even when he hates horror movies. Minho often wonders if he'd be willing to do the same for Jisung. But these days, every time his thoughts go to Jisung, he's quick to steer them to a different direction. 

If only he'd been less intent on ignoring his own feelings, he would've noticed the way Jisung's eyes are looking at them from the side. 

  
  
  
  
  


On the night of Changmin's birthday, Juyeon kisses him.

Minho finds out about it when he walks in on them in the kitchen, a pot of boiling water and unopened packets of instant ramen lying forgotten on the counter. 

He has a split second to process what's happening - his brother is kissing someone in their kitchen, where either of their parents could easily walk in on them, and Juyeon is pressing Changmin against the counter so close to the stove they could set themselves on fire - and decide whether he should just turn around and go back to his room or clear his throat so he can get some water.

But in that split second, Changmin's eyes flutter open. They widen as soon as he sees Minho, and he quickly pushes Juyeon off him before Minho can even blink. 

"What's wrong?" Juyeon starts to ask. Then he turns around and finds Minho, and he's suddenly frozen in place.

"Well," says Minho, looking at everywhere but the two. "Uh I'll be in my room."

Later that night, Juyeon comes into Minho's room for the first time in over five years, feeling like he needs to explain everything.

"You really don't have to say anything," Minho insists. "I just wish you didn't do it so out in the open. Mom and dad could've walked in on you."

Juyeon makes his way over to Minho's bed and sits down, running fingers through his hair. "I had it all planned out, you know?" he says in a low voice. "I'd wait for Changmin to graduate, we’d move to the city and get our own place, go to college or find work…" A long sigh. Then he says, in such a small voice that reminds Minho that they're the same age, in the same position, and that ultimately they're still just teenagers trying to navigate life, "I never planned to fall in love."

It's the most empathetic Minho's felt towards Juyeon in over five years, too. He places a hand on Juyeon's back, saying in a voice that mirrors his sadness, "No one ever does."

  
  
  
  
  


Minho still hasn't told Jisung about Juyeon and Changmin. It's mostly because he doesn't know what exactly it is that's going on between them. As far as Minho can see, nothing's really changed, and Juyeon hasn't talked to him about it since that night last month. Not that it matters to Minho whether or not Juyeon and Changmin have sorted their feelings out, but there's a part of him that thinks he owes it to Jisung to tell him if his crush was suddenly dating someone or not. After all, Jisung’s been smitten with Juyeon pretty much from the moment he met him.

So imagine the horror when Juyeon suddenly kisses Changmin under the mistletoe, in front of the entire mall, on Christmas Day, and Minho is frozen in place for a moment or two. It’s much like that night he’d walked in on them kissing in his kitchen, except this time, Changmin doesn’t push Juyeon away, and Minho can’t run into his room where Juyeon would find him and tell him everything he doesn’t want to hear.

“What the fuck,” Jisung whispers beside him.

It takes a beat before Minho realizes who spoke, and he immediately turns his head to face the younger, bracing himself for the look of hurt in Jisung’s eyes he’s sure would meet his, full of contempt and accusation. 

But what Minho’s met with instead is Jisung’s smiling face, looking like he won a million bucks when he exclaims, “Ha! I knew it!"

  
  
  
  
  


“Juyeon-ah,” Changmin greets as soon as he comes out of the building, his puppy Ghana running after him and straight into Juyeon’s arms. “Happy birthday.”

 _Fine,_ Minho thinks. He'd let these two drag him along the neighborhood today, since it’s Juyeon’s birthday, and because he’s come to realize that it’s mostly thanks to Changmin that Juyeon lets him get away with speaking informally. 

See, Minho had once jokingly pointed out that Juyeon’s never required Changmin to call him _hyung,_ even though Minho is exactly eleven days older than Changmin. “I never told you to call me _hyung,_ ” was what Juyeon had said to that. Minho knew the reason Juyeon and Changmin are _friends_ was because they’d met before Juyeon started school. And while he didn’t really mind calling his older brother _hyung,_ it was a way too good opportunity to pass on.

“Happy birthday, Juyeon-ah,” Minho says as he moves to pet Ghana, too. But Juyeon only smiles at him, somehow looking much younger despite having literally just aged a year. 

_‘I never meant to fall in love,’_ Juyeon told him just two months ago.

But Minho guesses it’s not always bad, unplanned things. He himself was unplanned; his parents have never tried to deny that they weren’t supposed to have both him and Juyeon - and in the same year - but it’s not something Minho holds against them. Things might not have gone according to their plans, but it happened, and they did everything they could to make the best out of it.

“Minho-hyung!” Jisung calls from down the street, waving his hands at them. He’s carrying a plastic bag in one hand, while the other’s holding a popsicle to his mouth. He looks really cute and adorable, excitedly beckoning them to come towards him. 

Minho feels so helpless as he stands up and lags behind Juyeon and Changmin. 

He never meant to fall in love, either. 

  
  
  
  
  


On Valentine’s Day, Jisung gives Minho a bar of chocolate.

“What’s that?” Minho asks, willing his face to keep a straight expression as he looks from Jisung’s flushed face to the bar of chocolate he’s handing him. 

“Chocolate,” Jisung replies simply. 

Despite the heavy beating of his heart, Minho can’t help but roll his eyes. “I know that’s chocolate, Han Jisung. What’s it for?”

Jisung shrugs. “It’s Valentine’s Day,” he says. “And it’s the last day of term.”

Minho can only stare. They’re in the middle of a busy street on the way home, but he’s frozen in place. The only thing he can see is Jisung, looking uncharacteristically nervous. The only thing he can hear is his own loud heartbeat, like his heart is suddenly too close to his ears. The single, probably melted, bar of chocolate inside his bag - similar to those he’s gotten every single Valentine’s Day for three years now, but has never had the nerve to give - now feels too heavy on his shoulders.

It’s really the things you least expect that make the most impact. 

“Minho-hyung,” Jisung says, voice trembling a little. Then he takes a deep breath, letting it out slowly. “I like you.”

Minho slowly moves his hand to take the chocolate from Jisung, afraid that if he moves too rashly he might suddenly wake up and realize this is all a dream. But the tip of his fingers graze Jisung’s skin, and it feels electrifying, hot to the touch.

And he thinks the smile that just as slowly makes its way onto Jisung’s face is worth everything in his life that didn’t go according to plan.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!
> 
> [curiouscat](https://curiouscat.qa/crashingfalling)


End file.
